The invention relates, in general, to an apparatus for communication between a communication device and a Local Exchange Carrier""s Intelligent Switch. In particular, the invention relates to a computer system having disposed thereon a communication device. The computer system, via the communication device, commands and controls the communication link between the communication device and the Local Exchange Carrier""s Intelligent Switch. More particularly the invention relates to a plurality of data structures stored in the computer system""s memory wherein the data structures are formulated into instruction modules to direct the functioning of the computer system.
The telecommunication industry is replete with communication switching platforms that route, process, and interconnect any one of a plurality of different types of communication devices. The communication devices may be cellular, radiotelephone, analog, or digital transceivers. The switching platforms may include Private Branch Exchanges, Local Carrier Exchanges, and Long Distance Carrier Exchanges. All of these switching platforms are designed and implemented to interconnect a first user or subscriber of a communication device to a second selected user of a communication device. Local and Long Distance Exchange Carriers charge a contracted subscriber a fee to provide services for connecting the subscriber to the second selected user of a communication device.
The fees are derived, in part, from usage of the switching platforms and the local telecommunication service to the subscriber. Typically, the Local and Long Distance Exchange Carriers, in concert with their respective billing offices, compile the fees charged of the subscriber on a monthly basis. The subscriber who desires access to the cost to long distance communication must wait for the monthly bill of services to arrive from the Local or Long Distance Exchange Carriers. The importance of real-time long distance communication awareness is invaluable to the subscriber. For instance the subscriber""s billing or invoice cycle may not coincide with the particular Local or Long Distance Carrier billing cycle thereby causing service rendered in one month to be billed in the following month instead of the current month.
In an attempt to resolve the problem of lengthy access time to cost information, U.S. Pat. No. 5,506,893 issued to Buscher et al. on Apr. 9, 1996 discloses a switching platform in communication with an associated billing center to provide current billing information to the subscriber. The subscriber, as delineated in the Buscher et al. patent, places a long distance telephone call through a Local Exchange Carrier. The Local Exchange Carrier connects the subscriber to a selected Long Distance Carrier. If desired, the subscriber may view the call record of the long distance call during the communication link between the subscriber and the subscriber""s intended call recipient. The subscriber may, if desired, review the call record during or after the long distance communication link is established. The entire call record is downloaded to the subscriber""s communication device. The subtlety of this action on the part of the Long Distance Carrier is the subscriber must first request or place the long distance telephone call to the subscriber""s intended recipient. The subscriber receives no call rate or transaction rate information prior to establishing a communication link between himself and the intended call recipient. If the subscriber chooses to compare long distance transaction rates in real-time i.e., at the time the communication link is to be established, he would have to contact or connect to multiple Long Distance Carriers, ergo being charged for the long distance communication link.
In an attempt to remedy the problem of restricting the subscriber as delineated in the Buscher et al. patent U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,854 issued to Kashepva on Aug. 11, 1998 discloses a system for selecting and monitoring telephone rates. The Kashepava patent discloses a communication device associated with a computer system having a database. The subscriber may, if desired, download long distance rate information to the computer system and that computer system stores the information in its database. The user may now review the long distance rates from a plurality of separate Long Distance Carriers. The subscriber may now select the Long Distance Carrier which has the lowest transaction rate for a long distance communication link.
The subscriber, delineated in the Kashepava patent, presumably downloads historical transaction rate data from the Long Distance Carriers and stores the data in an associated database. The subscriber, wishing to establish a long distance communication link, would consult the historical transaction rate records and decide which Long Distance Carrier would provide the best transaction rate for the given time period. If the database records are out of date i.e., the data stored in the database was entered at some selected time period before the current long distance communication link, the subscriber is forced to re-download transaction rate data from all of the selected Long Distance Carriers to update his database to remain current with the latest Long Distance Carrier transaction rate information.
It would be desirable to have a communication device, electrical equipment, or computer system that would provide real-time data to a subscriber who wishes to establish a long distance communication link. The real-time data provided would be the actual transaction rate for establishing a communication link via a selected Long Distance Carrier. The transaction rate data would be as current as the communication link itself i.e., transaction rate data would be concurrent with the subscriber establishing the long distance communication link but prior to the actual establishment of the communication link between the subscriber and the intended recipient of the long distance communication link. The communication device, electrical equipment, or computer system would also provide in-process real-time tabulation of the time and charges of the communication link. The communication device, electrical equipment, or computer system would also enable the subscriber to selectively view long distance time and charges for one or more communication device connected to the computer system. The communication device, electrical equipment, or computer system would further enable the downloading of other types of data and display them to the same communication or transmission medium i.e., telephone line, fiber optic cable, or any other convenient transmission medium. The downloaded data would be selective depending upon which Long Distance Carrier the subscriber chose to establish the long distance communication link.
The present invention is a communication system. The present invention establishes a transparent communication link between a user""s transceiver and the end user of the communication link i.e., a second user or a second transceiver. The present invention may, if desired, be self contained in a stand-alone controller or installed on a computer system as a communication application program. The stand-alone controller aspect of the present invention enables the controller to be positioned between the user""s transceiver and a Local Exchange Carrier. The Local Exchange Carrier has installed thereto an Intelligent Switch, a component of the present invention.
The computer system having the present invention installed thereon as a communication application program enables the user of the present invention to communicate without utilizing the standard transceiver. For example, the computer system is directly connected to the Local Exchange Carrier. The present invention may, if desired, be activated much like a standard transceiver except the activation involves no physical contact between the user and the present invention. The computer system provides all of the required connections to the Local Exchange Carrier independent of the present invention.
Whether the stand-alone controller or the computer system is selected to implement the present invention, the operational functions remain the same. In operation, the transceiver captures and formulates a dedicated communication code intended to represent the selected recipient""s transceiver. Transparent to the user of the transceiver, the present invention evaluates the communication code and determines whether to transmit the communication code to the Local Exchange Carrier or establish a communication link with a selected Intelligent Switch. If the communication code is intended to represent a local or non-toll transceiver number the communication code is transmitted directly to the Local Exchange Carrier. If the communication code is intended to represent a toll transceiver number, the communication link between the present invention and the selected Intelligent Switch is established.
Once the communication code is received by the selected Intelligent Switch, the switch processes the communication code. The Intelligent Switch formulates a communication data packet for transmittal to the stand-alone controller or computer system. The communicating data packet may, if desired, contain communication transaction rate information, a list of area codes, and/or a selected advertisement. The advertisement is displayed to the user of the transceiver or the computer system""s monitor while the present invention maintains a connection to the Intelligent Switch. The transaction rate component of the communication data packet is the current or real-time transaction rate of the Long Distance Carrier associated with the Local Exchange Carrier.
Once the transaction rate is received from the selected Intelligent Switch it is processed by the present invention. The process may, if desired, involve storing the transaction rate, area code, or advertisements for future reference, calculating the transaction rate as it relates to time and charges involved in the communication link between the user of the transceiver and the recipient user of the transceiver communication link, or displaying time and charges of the elapsed time period of the aforementioned communication between the user of the transceiver and the recipient user of transceiver communication link.